Wednesday, February 04, 2004

Postscript to the what-to-call-G**** debate: here's a fascinating little morsel of scene-discourse, a postcard/flyer thingy that fell out of my copy of Black Ops' 'Haywire', I think it's quite a bit older than that release, I'd estimate it dates to 2001, or maybe even as early as 2000. At any rate it's not often you get a chance to observe a scene, or intra-scenic fragment thereof, thinking aloud about genre-icity and what's at stake in the name game. I reproduce it here, almost in full, complete with spelling errors and typos.

Front side:

BLACK OP'S's"Last weeks key's is this weeks Gee's"We are the street's. You are the street's. So listen 2 the streets.
L.D. Cats

Back side:

Jon $ Cash: Rap style Mc with a very fast tongue and the ability to Mc for a very long time. A new concept in UK London Underground House n Garage. So new we are going to stop fooling you all and give it a new name. Will call it Sub Low. Sub low is what you call underground house and garage, just think if the new name was called Sub Low you wouldn't be fooled when you are deciding what rave to go on a Friday or Saturday night or what room to go and dance in your local club and still don't get it. All you up and coming Dj's playing dark side bass and drum tune's like Bond, Buddha Finger, and the like's of Wookie's new stuff do you really think that is House n Garage. "Think about it" When you go out raving and you don't hear some of your favourite tracks, It's because we as the people are all being fooled if the name of this style of music was changed we would not be fooled as clubber's going out to enjoy our selves. Up and coming Djs and Mc's just think if the music got split into two House n Garage and Sub Low, and you are very good this would give you all a chance to get in the game and show off our talent's and then you could be a Dj that gets $250 an hour for playing good music. If clubber had a choice of rave on a saturday night there might just be more dancing in the clubs and people would at least get to know what kind of rave they are going too before they spend there hard earned money to get in.Right now House n Garage is going commercial and it belongs to the Big Boys and what they say goes. Sub Low is the streets underground music so if it ever turns commercial please, please keep it real.

Black Op's underground street music movement. Our music represents represents how we feel and what is going on in the streets today. We are just syaing what saying what some people are scared to say, and then putting it on plastic without being influenced by any promoter, Dj or Mc. Nobody but the streets can influence us so let the streets influence you.

Black Op's is not a crew we are a movement all we represent is Sub Lo music. We have Dj's, Mc's and producers who all feel and represent the Sb Low sound and all we want is all of you to do is just keep it real....

TO ALL THUGS & BUBBLERS, HUSTLERS, IF YOU WANT THE SCENE TO SAY POTANT YOU MUST STOP THE VIOLENCE IN THE CLUBS...... STOP THE VIOLENCE!!!!